What Makes A Hike Along Dhok Tree Trail In Jaipur Alluring?

Even though Jaipur is a thriving & growing city there are still pockets that provide a breather by way of the natural landscape. And some of these blocks have a hiking potential which I’m able to experience every now & then. As mentioned in my previous post I have just resumed hiking in Jaipur after a brief hiatus. I decided to explore a short hiking trail near Jaipur which allows fast commute from the city.

At dawn, the roads are empty & devoid of any traffic. All you can see is just a few people at tea stalls.

A picture clicked while driving out of Jaipur

It took us a few minutes to drive out of town & we reached the base of the trail around 6 AM. This trail doesn’t have much of human activity. Leopards have been sighted in these forests & for this fact, we made sure there was sunlight before entering the forest.

Action in the sky!The start of the trail

The start of the hike wasn’t too great; the moment we entered the forest area there was a terrible stench of a dead animal. I’m not sure if this was prey or otherwise.

I have never been on this trail before and it turned out to be a splendid trail. The path traversed through a ridge lined with the Dhok trees which are also known as Anogeissus Pendula.

These are resident trees of Aravali hills, Rajasthan and can be found from Gujrat-Rajasthan in the south to Haryana and Delhi, in the north. I have already written a post on Dhok trees a few years ago when I started this blog.

The trail is incredibly beautiful and it is hard to believe that human settlement is only a few kilometers away! It offers a great morning workout as it is unhurried initially and the steep section surfaces later. Unlike many other trekking routes in Jaipur, this doesn’t have a nuisance of thorns, an essential feature of the local topography.

The valley on the left was alluring but gave this idea a rest because the bushes and trees were quite dense. Maybe some other day and some other season.

Thirty minutes after we started, it was time for the sun to wish us a good morning! Here is a picture of the sunrise along with the silhouette of the ramparts. Look deeply and spot the hikers!

With soft sun lighting the entire trail, it looked even more beautiful. It definitely is a great hiking trail for the autumn season. It was time to head back.

What I liked about this hiking place in Jaipur?

Walking through the stunning landscape amidst the resident tree of Aravali – Dhok.

The forest department has planted a large number of foreign tree variants in the hills around Jaipur and it is difficult to find indigenous trees. A forest full of Vilayati or Israeli Babool tree is bad for a hike because the trail is lined with spikes shed from the trees. At times the hikers end up with bruises on the skin due to the thorns on branches.

The Dhok or Anogeissus Pendula tree looks even more graceful during the winter season. I have hiked in another forest with many Dhok trees in the month of January and it looked beautiful. Come winters, would love to traverse on this trail, again.

Have you hiked in Jaipur? If yes, which is the best trekking route in your opinion?